AN engineering cadet from Charles Sturt University Bathurst has been working on a mammoth Sydney tunnel just 18 months into her degree.
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Second-year student engineers from the campus have recently embarked on their first placements and are getting a close look at their chosen career.
Bridget Annand, who was born and raised in a district regional farming family and is a Kelso High graduate, has long had an interest in helping her community become more resilient while improving the condition of the environment.
"By combining this passion with my scientific, mathematic and design skills, I was steered toward civil engineering," she said.
She has been working in Sydney with John Holland/CPB Contractors on the WestConnex, Rozelle Interchange project.
As an undergraduate engineer, she has been exploring the new tunnels being built below Sydney while gaining experience with geotechnical engineering, site-based work, and large-scale projects.
"I am passionate about sustainability, equity and diversity, and I hope to improve the local community by focusing on these aspects during my work as an engineer," she said.
Bathurst High graduate Marcus Dege, meanwhile, has a career in engineering in his blood.
His father was an aircraft engineer and car mechanic and, growing up on a farm, Mr Dege was exposed to earthworks and water management.
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But it was not until his first career choice in high school as a RAAF pilot fell through that he seriously considered engineering.
"Engineering became my first preference due to my longstanding interest in the discipline, and the interesting direction the new Charles Sturt University course was going since it was so different to other universities' typical structures," he said.
During his first and second semesters, he worked on a water purification system and a proposed National Logistics Hub in Parkes respectively.
Most recently, he has been on placement for four weeks at Bathurst Regional Council, surveying and drafting and working on-site and in the office to help produce local projects.
He said his biggest motivation is to make a difference in society's sustainability.
"Growing up on a farm and having a strong respect for nature, along with understanding the danger human pollution presents to our own lives, I am passionate about helping move our communities towards a more harmonious relationship with the environment," he said.
CSU Bathurst's engineering course began in 2016 and set out from the beginning to treat its students differently.
Applications are now open to study engineering at CSU in 2022.
